You’ve Heard of the Noses of Soho? Well, There are Also the Ears of Covent Garden.

Credit: Betsy Weber/Flickr

Yes, hidden in plain sight all over Covent Garden, you’ll find plaster cast ears (moulded from the head of artist Tim Fishlock) up on the walls.

Details: All over Covent Garden (but there are two on Floral Street to get you going)

The Smallest Police Station in Great Britain is… in Trafalgar Square

Felipe Tofani / Flickr

Go to the eastern edge of Trafalgar Square, and you’ll see a small pillar with a door in it. This was, until recently, the smallest police station in London, used for coppers to keep a close eye on the crowds who routinely gathered in the square to celebrate/protest.

In 1921, our good friends the Americans sent us a statue of George Washington as a kind of kiss-and-make-up gesture for the whole ‘revolution’ thing. The only problem? Washington himself had declared that he would never again set foot on British soil. So, some American soil was sent over from Virginia with him. He still stands on it today.

You though the Thames was the only river in London? Pshhht. There are 21 hidden rivers, mostly underground. But you can see a few of them pop their aquatic necks above ground, including the River Fleet (adorably competing with the Thames as it runs under Blackfriar’s Bridge), and the Effra under Vauxhall Bridge.

No, the North Korean Embassy isn’t in Marylebone. Or Westminster. It’s in a detached house at 73 Gunnersbury Avenue, in Ealing. There are no armed guards, no security patrols. The ambassador’s name is “His Excellency Mr Choe Il”.

Now amongst the better known of London’s secrets thanks to Sherlock, two houses on this terraced stretch are, in fact, a practically 2D facade to disguise an open-air stretch of railway track where trains let off steam – and to this day remain the most amusing address to give to someone you don’t like.

King’s Cross has a tree standing in it surrounded by artfully placed gravestones. These gravestones were relocated during railway construction in the 19th century by a young Thomas Hardy, who, happily for him, managed to scrape a decent living as a writer later in life…

Details: Parish of Old St. Pancras, Pancras Road, NW1 1UL

The Savoy Still Has A Sewer Gas Powered Lamp| Strand

Credit: Betsy Weber/Flickr

Yes, it’s London’s only remaining street light powered at least partially by gas from the sewers beneath. And fine, it’s a technically a replica… but there’s still something in the air here.

Details: Carting Lane, WC2R

London’s smallest courtyard is also its most interesting by far… | St. James’s

Probably boasting the highest historic intrigue to square-foot ratio in London, Pickering Place is the city’s smallest courtyard, and has variously played host to secret duels (it is in fact, London’s last duelling spot), bear-baiting, and gambling; a 17th century wine merchants (still standing); and the erstwhile Texan Republic Embassy.